Railway car springs



Oc -16,1951 H. w. F OST, JR, E'TAL 2,571,229

RAILWAY CAR SPRINGS Filed March 22, 1950 INVENTORS. HARRY W- F'RasrJa-Lows L Euobunv BY Arroauav.

Patented Oct. 16, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RAILVJAY CAR SPRINGSHarry .W. Frost, .lr., Detroit,Mich., and Louis E. Endsley, Pittsburgh,Pa.

Application March 22, 1950, Serial No. 151,088

6 Claims. 1

Our invention relates to railway car springs such as are employed forsupporting the ends of truck bolsters within the car truck side frames,and more particularly to those springs of the spring-group type whereineach group comprises a pluralityof coil springs for supporting the truckbolster, each spring group being assembled as a unit and having africtional snubbing device in corporated therewith to prevent excessiveoscillations or vibratory movements.

One object of our invention is to provide a group-spring structure andsnubbing device therefor of such form that the snubbin or frictionaldevice can be inbuilt into the group- 'spri-ng unit in a simpler mannerthan prior devices of this character, and wherein replacements of thesnubbing or frictional elementscan be made quickly and easily.

Another object of our invention is the provision of an improved meansfor placing the snubb'ing springs under the compression that is requiredfor the desired friction.

Still another object of our invention is to pro "vide for placing thesnubbing springs under compression by a single tensionin element, butwherein each spring will be held in a compressed condition even thoughthe other spring fails.

As shown in the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a view of a springunit, partly in plan, and partly in section on the line 1-1 of Fig. 2;Fig. 2 is a view taken on the line IIII of Fig. '1; Fig. 3 is a sideelevational view of the structure of Figs. 1

and "2; Fig. lisa'side view of the top spring plate of Fig. 1 and itsattached spring housings; Fig. 5 is-an inner face view of one of thefriction shoes of Fig. 2; Fig. 6'is an edge view thereof; Fig. 7 is anedge View of the spring compressing and tens'ioning element-of Fig. '2,and Fig. 8 is a face view thereof.

It will be understood that a group spring unit as shown in the drawingwill be employed in each car truck side frame to support the ends of thetruck bolster and that the snubbing device will prevent accumulation ofvertical oscillations or vibrations in the conventional load-carryingsprings.

The unit includes four conventional loadcarrying springs of the coiltype indicated at Iii, interposed between top and bottom plates or capsI I and I2, the bottom plate or seat I2 being sup ported within thetruck frame and a truck bolster extending crosswise of the plate I I,the plates being here shown as provided with the usual bosses or .knobsI3 and I4 respectively, to center and hold the plates -I I and 12against slipping or displacement relative to the bolster and truckframe.

The bottom "plate or spring seat I 2 has a casing I5 that extendsupwardly and has end walls I 6 to which wear-plates I' l are welded,these plates being employed to serve as frictional surfaces and thusavoid rubbing of friction shoes directly on the:end walls F6 of thecasing.

The top plate H has a pair of spring housings 18 formed onitseundersurface, for receiving a pair of snubb ing springs I9. At theirremote sides, the housings have rectangular openings 2-0 to looselyreceive shoes 2-] that have frictional engagement with the frictionplates IT.

The housings I8 have holes 22 through their partitions or inner walls,to loosely support the inner ends of the springs I9, the outer ends ofthe springs being supported by bosses 2-3 that enter the end turns ofthe coils a slight distance. A-spring seating block 25 of taperedformextends downwardly between the housings I8 and, when pushed intoplace, will compress and hold the 'snubb'ing springs 'I 9 undercompression as shown in Fig. '2.

In-ser-vioe, "the block 25 will move vertically as 'a unit with the capplate I I. The sloping faces of the block are within the angle offriction in that the block will not be ejected or moved upwardly simplythrough thrust of the springs I9. However, the bolster will usuallyreston the upper 'end of the block 25 and hold it against upwardmovement. As shown in Fig. 2, the block and adjacent wall of the topplate have holes therethrough to receive a pin 25 that may convenientlybe used to hold the snubbing elements in assembled relation when thereis no'bolster on the spring group. Also, the pin, when partly withdrawnas shown in Fig. '2, can serve as -a-convenien-t means for pulling theblock 25 from the spring housings.

Clearance is provided at 21 between the outer faces of the housing I8and theshoes 21, to provide for lost-m0tion'between the bolster and -thetruck frame when they have relatively swinging movement around avertical axis and to thereby avoid binding -or damage as between theupper and lower portions of the sprin unit.

Another feature of our invention is the provision of the arrangementwhereby the snubbing elements can readily be placed and removed. Inassembling the device, the top plate II will be held clear of the casing15 to permit insertion of thesnubbing springs I9 through the openings 2and the placing of the shoes 21 in said open- 'ings. At this time, thesprings I9 are not under any compression. The top portion of the unitcan then be slid into place between the friction plates H. The block 25will then be driven into position to place the springs I9 undercompression against their respective shoes. To facilitate installationof the unit, in a truck frame and the placing of a bolster on the unit,the plates H and I2 will be compressed against the loadcarrying springsI until holes 29 in the shoes 2| register with holes 30 and 3| in thecasing walls l6 and the friction plates ll respectively. Pins 32 canthen be inserted into these holes to hold the parts in compressedposition until installation in a car truck has been completed.Thereupon, the pins will be removed to permit normal functioning of thespring unit.

It is further to be noted that should one of the springs I9 break, theblock 25 will still hold the other spring under compression.

We claim as our invention:

1. A spring group comprising top and bottom spring plates havingload-carrying coils between them, an upwardly-extending casing on thebottom plate, downwardly-extending spring housings carried by the topplate and extending into the casing, friction surfaces on oppositelydisposed walls of the casing, friction shoes extending slidably throughoppositely-located walls of the housings and having engagement with saidsurfaces, a pair of coil snubbing springs, partition walls in thehousings, having openings to loosely receive the inner ends of the pairof snubbing springs whose outer ends respectively seat against saidshoes, and a spring-seating block removably inserted between saidpartitions and engaging the inner ends of the snubbing springs tocompress them against the shoes.

2. A spring group comprising top and bottom spring plates havingload-carrying coils between them, an upwardly-extending casing on thebottom plate, downwardly-extending spring housings carried by the topplate and extending into the casing, friction surfaces on oppositelydisposed walls of the casing, friction shoes extending slidably throughoppositely-located walls of the housings and having engagement with saidsurfaces, a pair of coil snubbing springs, partition walls in thehousings, having openings to loosely receive the inner ends of the pairof snubbing springs whose outer ends respectively seat against saidshoes, and a spring-seating block removably inserted between saidpartitions and engaging the inner ends of the snubbing springs tocompress them against the shoes, the snubbing springs being generallyhorizontal but having their adjacent inner ends somewhat higher thantheir outer ends, to facilitate placing the block between them tocompress the same.

3. A spring group comprising top and. bottom spring plates havingload-carrying coils between them, an upwardly-extending casing on thebottom plate, downwardly-extending spring housings carried by the topplate and extending into the casing, friction surfaces on oppositelydisposed walls of the casing, friction shoes extending slidably throughoppositely-located walls of the housings and having engagement with saidsurfaces, a pair of coil snubbing springs, partition walls in thehousings, having openings to loosely receive the inner ends of the pairof snubbing springs whose outer ends respectively seat against saidshoes, and a spring-seating block removably inserted between saidpartitions and engaging the inner ends of the snubbing springs tocompress them against the shoes, the snubbing springs being generallyhorizontal and insertible into their housings, through the openings inthe said oppo- 4 sitely-disposed walls that receive and support thefriction shoes.

4. A spring group comprising top and bottom spring plates havingload-carrying coils between them, an upwardly-extending casing on thebottom plate, downwardly-extending spring housings carried by the topplate and extending into the casing, friction surfaces on oppositelydisposed walls of the casing, friction shoes extending slidably throughoppositely-located walls of the housings and having engagement with saidsurfaces, a pair of coil snubbing springs, partition walls in thehousings, having openings to loosely receive the inner ends of the pairof snubbing springs whose outer ends respectively seat against saidshoes, and a spring-seating block removably inserted between saidpartitions and engaging the inner ends of the snubbing springs tocompress them against the shoes, there being holes through said opposedwalls and the shoes, in position for relative alinement when theload-carrying springs are compressed and to receive temporary holdingpins that retain the unit in a partly-compressed condition, tofacilitate handling and installation of the unit.

5. A spring group comprising top and bottom spring plates havingload-carrying coils between them, oppositely disposed andupwardly-extending friction plates carried by the bottom plate, twopairs of downwardly-extending walls carried by the top plate anddisposed between the friction plates, a friction shoe extending slidablythrough the outermost wall of each pair of walls and having rubbingengagement with the adjacent friction plate, a snubbing spring extendingloosely through the inner wall of each of said pairs, in generallyhorizontal direction, and a wedgeshaped block removably inserted betweenthe inner ends of the snubbing springs to hold them compressed againstthe said shoes.

6. A spring group comprising top and bottom spring plates havingload-carrying coils between them, an upwardly-extending casing on thebottom plate, downwardly-extending spring housings carried by the topplate and extending into the casing, friction surfaces on oppositelydisposed walls of the casing, friction shoes extending slidably throughoppositely-located walls of the housings and having engagement with saidsurfaces, a pair of coil snubbing springs, partition Walls in thehousings, having openings to loosely receive the inner ends of the pairof snubbing springs whose outer ends respectively seat against saidshoes, a spring-seating block removably inserted between said partitionsand engaging the inner ends of the snubbing springs to compress themagainst the shoes, and a retaining member engageable with the upperfollower and the block, to releasably retain the block in operativeposition.

HARRY W. FROST, JR- LOUIS E. ENDSLEY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,121,970 Brooks Dec. 22, 19141,694,778 Haseltine Dec. 1 1928 2,356,742 Bachman Aug. 29, 19442,437,359 Pierce Mar. 9, 1948 2,536,264 Danielson Jan. 2, 951

